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THE KING’S BUSINESS LESSON XII.—September 21.—T he G olden C ale .—Exod. 32. TEMPERANCE LESSON.
G olden T e x t : ’ My little children guard I. I ntervening E vents . — Exod. 20:22 ;— 32. 1. 'Particular Prohibition of Gold or Sil ver gods. 2. Command to Build an Altar and to Sacrifice. Evidently law was no ground of fellowship with Jéhovah; He never meant it to be ; sacrificial blood only could sup port it: II. C ivil C ode . —Chapters 21—23. Detailed laws were now given relating to person, purity and property; with prom ised reward of guidance, preservation, and the land. III. T h e P rinces of I srael S ee t h e G od of I srael .—24:1-18. 1. The Invitation to the Royal Reception, -rrvt. 1, 2.. 2. Ratification of the Covenant. —vs. 3-8; book and people sprinkled with blood ; for all was imperfect, inadequate (Heb. 9:18- 23). 3. The Theophany. —vs. 9-11. In the New Testament 3, in the Old Testament 73 entered' the glory with the Lord (Matt. 17:1-8; 2 Peter 1:16-17); “saw the God of Israel,’ and “He laid not His hand on them;’’ they “beheld and did eat and drink.’’ "It’s just like Jesus,” and it was He. How safe and blessed they were under the sprinkled blood. Yet they were no better than we, 4. Called Higher. —vs. 12-18. Moses, with Joshua his secretary, called to a pri vate audience with the king, bade the elders “wait here” till they returned. There would have been no golden calf, I think, had they patiently waited there. When Moses returned he found them in the “camp” (Heb. 13:13), dancing round the calf. See how it was at that other descent (Luke 9:37-41); and “when the Son of Man cometh’’ (Luke 18:8). Better wait for “His Son from heaven.”
ysurselves from idols .—1 John 5 :21. III. T abernacle , F urniture , R obes and C onsecration of P riests A nd L e - vites D escribed . —Chapters 25—31.. All this was communicated by Word of mouth of Moses, for all was to typify the Person and Work of the Redeemer to Whom, like a guardian slave (pedagogue, “schoolmaster” of Gal. 4:24), law and cere monial were to lead. IV. T he G olden C alf . —Chapter 32. 1. The People’s Apostasy. —vs. 1-6. Moses remained forty days in the moun tain, until the people said to Aarop, “Make us a god . . . as for this Moses, the man ,” etc., “we know not w.hat has bepome of him.” It was this sin of god making that cursed Israel down to the Captivity (Jer. 32:30). Ascribing the Penteteuchal his tory to man , denying supernatural work ings of God in revelation, and seeing in Jesus only the man is the sin of this age : and saying of Him, “We know pot what has become of Him ;” “where is the prom ise of His coming?” (2 Peter 3:3, 4). Aaron made their god, they worshipped it, “sat down to eat and drink and rose uo to play.” Gold, Egyptian gold, ornamental gold, is the god of our day, and eat, drink and play the program, much of it, too. in the name of “a feast of Jehovah” (vs. 5; Rev. 3:17). Yesterday they vowed to keep all the commandments, today they are danc ing underfoot the chief. Such is man, to day pius, tomorrow pagan. Going from prayer to plunder; from the Lord’s Supper to a drinking bout; from a feast with Je hovah in the “holy mount,” to a feast with the devil in the valley. 2. Jehovah!s Repudiation. — vs. 7-10. “Thy” people, He called them; “that thou broughtest out,” not owning that He re deemed such a people; He is ashamed of them. 3. Moses’ Intercession. —vs. 11-15. (1) His magnanimity: He stood between wrath and the people, though they ' had been
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